Telecommunications systems have been developed to deliver multimedia services to residential and commercial subscribers using wireless access systems. In one system, a wireless base station transmits multimedia services to multiple subscribers in a service area. The base station provides both sectorized and omnidirectional antennas for RF communication. For example, common services such as broadcast television may be transmitted to all subscribers in a service area via an omni-directional antenna. Also, subscriber-specific services intended for less than all the subscribers may be transmitted via a sectorized antenna. Video, audio, and data signals are sectorized and combined prior to transmission through the antenna which covers the service area and distributes the signals. Such a system is shown in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/367,402, entitled "A Wireless Base Station Architecture" filed Dec. 30, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,966.
Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) signaling and bearer information process systems can provide important flexibility to various communications systems. ATM cell transport also provides flexible bandwidth allocation and service type selection for a wide range of applications, efficient multiplexing of traffic from bursty data/multimedia sources, end-to-end provisioning of broadband services over wireless and land line networks, suitable ATM switching equipment for inter cell switching, and improved service reliability with packet switching techniques. Thus, it is desirable to enable wireless devices to be connected to an ATM signaling and processing network to achieve greater flexibility. One system which achieves this flexibility is described in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/393,784, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,633, entitled "Wireless Telecommunications Base Station For Integrated Wireless Services With ATM Processing" filed Feb. 24, 1995.
Each of the above described communications systems provides significant advantages. Each individual communication system however, does not realize the benefits of the other system. It would be desirable to develop a communication system which can realize the benefits of both systems, and more particularly maximize the efficiency and versatility of the communication system.